Vampire Accademy Anonymous
by rachelalexandra
Summary: A series of one-shots to give you your VA fix, kind of like nicotine patches! Some will be 'What Ifs' whilst some will be alternate POV's.
1. Dimitri is a Badass God

**An alternate way for Rose to find out about her Mentor's reputation. This is my first 'What If' chapter, so WHAT IF nobody ever mentioned how great he is to her before. Set shortly after he finds her with Jesse.**

Dimitri is a Badass God

I swung again, aiming the carefully calculated blow at the back of his shoulders. Exactly as I had expected, Dimitri twisted automatically to block, his hands gripped the baton in both hands- raising it vertically in a sweeping position. _Got you Cowboy!_ I crowed inwardly, as I changed direction, ready to have my own, identical weapon crash full force into his knee caps.

Quicker than ought to be legal, he reversed the direction of his swing, knocking the baton out of my hands and jarring my arm in the process. I bit back a yelp of pain and glared at him instead, my always-short temper stretched almost to breaking point.

"Sloppy, Rose." He berated me.

"Sloppy?" I repeated incredulously. "SLOPPY?! You are impossible to beat! We've been at this for hours and I still haven't landed even a single blow on you!"

"You're getting frustrated." He noted dispassionately.

I rolled my eyes in response. "Well no shit Sherlock!" I said, full-on sarcasm in my voice. "When every move I make is countered by some freaky super-speed maniac!"

"Your attack methods are predictable." He told me blandly; but with a hint of a smile.

The amusement in his eyes irritated me even more, and my defence-system instantly cranked up the snarky dial. "Yeah?" I shot back. "And I'm pretty sure that you were breaking the sound-barrier there. Shouldn't there be a speed limit or something?"

This time the smile was obvious. "Strigoi will always be faster and stronger than you, Rose- even more so than me!" He pointed out. "I'd do you no favours by exaggerating my movements.

For a brief moment I was speechless as I struggled to stop myself smashing his head into something hard.

_Stupid condescending know-it all….._"Yeah, I get it!" I snapped back. "But how am I supposed to defend myself, keep my enemies at bay _and_ try to think up an attack that'll beat you all at the same time." I held up a hand as he started to speak, asking him to let me finish. "Maybe you can do it." I said flatly, still glaring murderously at him. "But as you are constantly reminding me, you've been doing this for years. Can't we just….. I dunno, take it a step at a time or something?"

He regarded me steadily, his countenance sober now. "You raise a valid point there." He replied seriously; and I felt my mouth drop open in astonishment. He smiled again, a flicker of a laugh that caused a similar flicker in my heart. "Here's how we'll try it." He declared. Walking over to where my baton lay, he picked it up and flipped it neatly at me. I caught it automatically, still numb. "You," He pointed his baton at me, "Will attack me. I will defend only, no more."

My mouth closed and brightened into an ever-growing smile as I considered this. "Really?" I asked eagerly; and he smiled again, the amusement back in his eyes. For some reason it didn't annoy much as much as it had last time.

"Ready?" He asked instead, gripping his baton, and I immediately crouched into an offensive position.

We commenced fighting and I found quickly that it was no where near as fun as I'd thought it would be. For one thing, nothing had changed. He still blocked practically every move. For another, every time he did block as well as those rare times I landed a blow, I think it hurt me more than it hurt him. Every connection that I made, whether it was with his weapon or Dimitri himself, jarred me to the bones whilst my oh-so awesome mentor remained as immobile as granite.

"You're becoming frustrated again," Dimitri said, his voice as calm and easy as though he were merely out for a pleasant stroll. "Try to focus your anger and stifle your urges."

_I'm stifling the urge not to throw this stupid thing at you and scream profanities._ I thought angrily. _Does that count?_

Before I could open my mouth to deliver this witty retort, however I heard the door open and shut behind me and an eager voice called out my name.

"And don't get distracted!" He snapped suddenly, the angry tone of his voice startling me more than his words and causing me to turn back in his direction in response. "Five more minutes." He instructed sharply, his stern eyes once again riling my anger.

For the next five minutes we moved so fast even I would have said we were supersonic. No matter how fast we went, though; no matter how many dirty tricks I tried and no matter how much energy I threw into that last-ditch effort, I didn't land any more blows.

At the end of the session I threw my baton into the supply closet in disgust and began to stomp angrily towards the changing rooms. Before I reached them, however I was stopped by a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at Dimitri in surprise, he was smiling down at me approvingly. "Congratulations Roza." He said warmly. "That was very well done out there."

"Oh yeah?" I snapped back, brushing his hand off of my shoulder impatiently. "Well if that's the best I can do I'll be screwed when I come up against a Strigoi. You said yourself that they're tougher than any Dhampir. So thanks for the compliment comrade."

He regarded me levelly again and I started to feel a little embarrassed by my outburst. He was probably only trying to be supportive; but there was no way I was going to apologise now!

"Your friends are still outside. I assume that you don't mean to leave them waiting for ever?" He asked, back to being Distant Dimitri. I felt a slight pang of regret and an uneasiness over why that should be.

Without another word I turned and hurried to get changed, slightly guilty over the Dimitri Incident. However, these emotions soon passed as I began to speculate on the identity of my surprise guest. Who'd have reason to visit me this late at night?

I got my answer as I got outside to find Mason and his friend Eddie standing by the wall talking, clearly waiting for someone.

"Hey guys!" I said, plastering on a smile as I approached them. "Did you come to escort me safely home?"

Both boys smiled at my teasing tone of voice. "Well," Said Mason, completely straight faced, "We'd hate for you to get lost. After all, you haven't been with us long….."

I rolled my eyes and gave him a gentle shove, as all of us began to move. "Jeez it's freezing out here….. You haven't been waiting long have you?"

They glanced at each other, suddenly wary. "Not long." Mason replied cautiously- both boys had a weird look in their eyes. "We left after you finished fighting Belikov….. You looked pretty pissed and you still had a weapon in your hands!" He joked nervously.

The smile vanished from my face. "You saw that." I stated flatly.

He nodded in conformation. "We saw that. You were….." He gulped. "You were scarily impressive." He conceded.

I rounded on him furiously. "Come to gloat Mase?" I asked angrily, viciously scattering a pile of snow a well placed kick. "Come to see exactly how far behind little drop-out girl is?!"

Masons eyes widened in shock. "No, no! I honestly mean it! You were really, really good!"

I laughed again, scornfully; but my anger faded as I realised he meant it. "Oh yeah?" I asked bitterly. "Then why didn't I land a single blow on him. It was simple practise, me attacking, him defending….. Yet I came out with more bruises than he did!" I glared at my hands sullenly, as though they were the cause of all my troubles.

Beside me, Mason sucked in a quick breath with surprise. "But you were still standing!" He said earnestly.

I looked at him sharply and was surprised to find that he meant it.

"What?" I asked stupidly.

"Belikov is a God!" He explained.

I snorted. "Exaggerate much?"

"No, I mean it!" He replied eagerly. "He has this killer reputation, he's pretty much famous! But I, suppose you, wouldn't know about that, right?" He asked falteringly.

I snorted. "No, I didn't." I said, feeling a little bit better about myself.

"Well he is!" Mason assured me. "He's a total badass."

"Dimitri is a Badass God." I repeated teasingly; but secretly I was pleased with myself. If that were true….. Then maybe I'd done pretty well after all.


	2. Roza, please, hear me Please be in there

**OK this one is annoying me a bit because I don't actually own a copy of Frostbite yet. ='( So all of the quotes in this are just the best that I could remember. If anyone could message/review me with the exact quotes then that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Rach. =D**

Roza, please, hear me. Please be in there. I know you're strong enough. I can't lose you. I love you.

Dimitri's POV.

"Dimitri? Dimitri! Oi, Belikov, are you sure that you're all right?"

It took a concerted effort for me to keep my eyes focused on Alberta's face. An effort I had to make, it was my eyes that gave me away. They always had. Right now the rest of my face was calm. My entire body set, determined. A little tense maybe; but that could easily be explained by the fact that we were about to go into a fight. A fight to rescue five students, including two Moroi and….. My student. My Roza. Oh God.

"Dimitri!"

My eyes snapped back, and I tried not to let the whirlwind of emotions that were inside of me leak through. The uncertainty. The fear. The anger. The desperation. The impatience.

The Love.

"Sorry?" I asked politely, struggling to maintain a neutral tone.

"Your hands." Alberta pointed to where my hand rested, knuckles white, on the top of one of my stakes. "You seem very tense."

Inwardly I cursed her for being so observant. How could I possibly say that the only reason my hands were clenched was to stop them from shaking?! Instead I made a conscious effort to relax them; and tried to answer her levelly. "It is an unusual situation." Damn it! Even _I_ could hear the tension in my voice. My accent always grew more pronounced when I was under stress.

Thankfully, Alberta dropped it and began to stare out of the window instead. Presumably she'd come to her own conclusions regarding the matter. "What's that?" She asked suddenly, pointing through the glass. I leaned over her instantly as the car began to slow, cursing the tinted glass that made it almost impossible to see.

Before the car was even fully stopped, Alberta had the door flung open and had climbed swiftly out. I followed closely, blinking in the sudden sunlight. I scanned the area with careful, but desperate eyes; hoping, no- _needing_ to see just one person…..

Even so, it took me a while before I saw them, sitting in the shade of a tree. Christian Ozera seemed too exhausted to move, or even to look relieved to see us. The bags under his eyes and the almost deathly look about him attested to the fact that the Strigoi had been denying him blood for several days. This blood deficiency combined with the sunlight that was even now filtering down through the leaves of his sparely-covered refuge had more than obviously pushed him to the edges of his limits. I processed all of this information in a minute; and even as a shudder ran through me at the horror of it, my heart gave a lurch. Lying prone and limp in the grass was a body, with it's head in his lap. It was a Dhampir.

A Guardian.

A Male.

The disappointment hit me at the same time as the guilt, the hope and the urgency. Disappointment: It wasn't her. Guilt: At least it was someone. Hope: She could still be alive. Still fighting, if she was. My Rose…… and Urgency. If she was fighting, she'd need my help.

This urgency was the predominant and over-riding emotion. Before I could react to it, it had carried me across the suburban lawn to the boys and placed me squarely in front of the young royal.

"Where are the others?" I demanded; and was horrified to hear that the urgency had completely filled my voice. I swallowed and tried again, willing his blank gaze to lift. "Where are they?" I asked again, more gently, once more in control.

He wet his lips; and I fought against the urge to shake him. "In the house." He whispered hoarsely, banishing my earlier bad thoughts. "They're still in the house. Rose got us out, she was incredible." My heart stirred almost painfully with a bittersweet pride. "Broke us out, took down the guards- they were human." My Rose. That's my Rose. "Got us past the two Strigoi. Made us go while she held them off." The pride turned to pain in the pit of my stomach. "We all got out easily. They couldn't follow….. There was sunlight. And we had Mason to guard us." Of course. They come first. Oh Roza….. "Then he went back in……"

I jolted back to reality. "He did what?!" I stared up with shock at Alberta, her face was set in a groan. A couple more guardians lurked in the background. At some point another car had caught up. "Where are they?" I demanded again, past trying to hide my impatience. "Ozera, which house are they in?"

His eyes closed, as if keeping them open any longer simply took more effort than he was capable of. Or perhaps he was just trying to remember, for a few seconds later he gave us a description of the house. I stood up; but Alberta was already barking orders into her phone. The other guardians were clambering back into their vehicles, those who had exited. Still more cars were simply idling on the side of the road, ready to move at a moments' notice. Alberta rattled off a brief description of the place, then dispatched all units there poste-haste.

"Belikov." Her voice brought me back to my senses. I'd barely taken two steps towards, not the direction of our now-running car; but the house in question.

I turned automatically at the tone of authority. "Yes?"

"Help me get these two back into the car."

For half a second I almost rebelled. 'No!' I wanted to scream at her. 'No, how can you even say that?! How can you, when the others; and Rose, my Rose…..' Another look at their faces once again stilled these uncharitable thoughts. "Of course."

Within seconds we had them in the car and safety. Then, before she could complain again, I was at the house.

From the comings-and-goings of guardians about the house, I could tell at once that the Strigoi were no longer at the location. In a nearby car, I saw another guardian trying to coax her story out of the other Moroi girl. Mia. Then he'd stop her every few words or so to verify what she'd said. Her face looked frustrated even at a distance. "She did _what??!" _Echoed up the drive as I headed, attention now fully locked, towards the main door of the house- and the epi-centre of chaos.

I paused on the threshold of what had obviously been the main room, having unceremoniously used my superior height and strength to push my way through all other spectators in order to reach this vantage point. Now I surveyed the scene of destruction in front of me. Blood was splattered across the room; and three bodies littered the floor. The one closest to me was a man, a Strigoi. His head had been brutally hacked off and what remained attacked with a vengeance. My cool gaze followed the line of sight to the one in the distance, a female this time, who had been decapitated in precisely the same manner. The third body was Mason Ashford, his lifeless eyes staring blankly out of a head which was rested upon an obviously broken neck.

Standing over him was Rose.

A sword was in her hand; dull, and dripping blood. Her body was poised in a half defensive, half aggressive stance that I recognised, having taught it to her myself. She was perfectly balanced, perfectly ready, obviously the perfect killing machine. Just perfect, oh so perfect.

But her eyes.

Her eyes held a lifelessness that mirrored Mason's. An empty, distant look without even a spark of recognition left. I felt a wave of pain in empathy to her own. To what she must be feeling. Grief, my Roza…..

The din was confusion itself as guardians who has previously issued brisk warnings to disarm were now emitting puzzled, insistent orders to drop her weapon. At least they all respected her enough now not to try to take it from her by force.

"Leave."

A wave of dread ran over me. That voice…..

Her beautiful voice was empty of it's normal richness. Instead, it matched her face. Her eyes. Flat, black; and empty.

Recognising the same thing in her that I did, Alberta motioned for us all to be quiet. Only one guardian was arrogant- or foolhardy- enough to disobey her. Janine Hathaway spoke.

"Rosemarie." She said sharply. "Let go of that sword immediately."

The blank look remained. The flash of recognition that we were all hoping for didn't come. Instead, her only response was a tightening of her grip on the sword.

"Leave, now." She repeated, just as dispassionately as before.

Janine gasped in shocked anger and opened her mouth to retort. There was another stirring as each guardian glanced uneasily at the next. We all had heard of, if not seen, this type of shock. If she didn't recognise a voice soon…..

Once again Alberta motioned for quiet; and this time Janine obeyed. Then she turned squarely to look at me. Without hesitation I stepped forwards. "Rose." I said softly. Looking into her eyes, seeing the utter despair in them, I wanted to let my heart and soul pour out into that one word. I wished passionately to be able to convey all of my love and hopes and fears and longings into that message. But I was intimately aware of the audience gathered around us. So I didn't.

Still, some of what I was feeling must have gone through, for a flicker of uncertainty crossed her face and her sword wavered doubtfully. Her lips parted as though in speech and I moved to fill the silence, well aware that at this point Rose was not bound by the same restrictions as I. And in my anxiety, I did not control my voice as I ought. "Rose, put down the sword." These words juxtaposed weirdly with my voice. My meaning. _Roza, please, hear me. Please be in there. I know you're strong enough. I can't lose you. I love you._

The weapon dropped even further; and she took a shaky step forward, glancing around as though seeing- if not truly comprehending- the carnage about her for the first time. The sword dropped to the floor, followed moments later by her body as she collapsed into a heap, tears streaming down her face as she uttered a heart-wrenching moan of agony. Done pretending, I, too dropped to my knees and took her in my arms.

"Hush, my Roza." I whispered gently, "Hush."

She gripped my shirt-front, still obviously in shock. "I couldn't leave him." Her voice had emotion in it now; and I almost wished it hadn't. Despair and heart-break on a scale that tore at my own heart, coupled with an almost crippling grief. Did she really care for him so much, then? This handsome, cheerful youth her own age? He had more than obviously been smitten with her.

She choked on a sob. "I couldn't." She insisted, robotically. I glanced down once more and all of my petty grievances melted away of a moment. It didn't matter whether or not she had loved the dead boy. What mattered was that I loved her.

"And you didn't." I told her softly, lovingly, stroking her hair- as around us others continued to work. "You stayed with him, defended him, until the very end." Standing, I raised her to her feet also, once again realising the scrutiny of my peers and fighting against the urge to rock her in my arms, even as I understood that this was the only time that they could ever condone me holding her. "Come on." I told her gently, and began to lead her carefully towards a car.

She plucked pathetically at my shirt-front as we went, trying helplessly to cling to me; and I gave up the last vestiges of pretence, both to myself and others, and secured her safely against me. By my side. Where she belonged.


	3. Wish Granted

**OK guys, so this is just one of those ridiculous, out-there, fun things that I really wanted to write. Basically, suspend reality, (V.A. version;) and imagine that Dhampirs can have kids. Also imagine that Lissa and Christian would actually let their child go to some bizarre human school rather than a fancy-schmancy Moroi one. In this one, basically anything goes. Enjoy!**

Wish Granted

"So, everyone got the plan?" The team murmured assent. "We get in, grab Her Royal Bratiness and get out." They were parked just out of view of the primary-school, in the stereo-typical moving truck scenario. The beauty of this deal was that it was actually real- the movers were all inside packing, fully un-aware that they were hiding renegade vampires in their back. Just imagine the shock…..

Richard flipped open his cell-phone, pressing speed dial before sticking it on speaker-phone and tossing it casually to the floor. He re re-checked his equipment as a voice came across the cell.

"OK, all ready boss."

Richard loaded his dart-gun, carefully checking each of the tiny vials for breakage before slotting them expertly into place. "Have you gone over the plan again Clive?"

"Sure, but go ahead." Came the disembodied voice coolly. "Remind us."

Richard ignored the satirical tone and complied, all of the while continuing his methodical inspection of his weaponry. "I won't bore you with the details. You all know the basic idea….. Or should do, by now at least. Clive, your team is in charge of defence. I want a pair of you on each door, no-one in no-one out. That leaves my team. We'll snatch a kid to act as hostage, get in, get what we came for and get out." He balanced the gun across his knees, the dangerous end facing the wall and the safety on. "The most important thing to remember is that under no circumstances are you to leave your positions. I don't care WHAT you think you hear going on inside that building. Even if I myself am crying out for you to help me, you stay put and deal with the Human Law Enforcement Agencies. Do you understand."

"Yes sir." Came Clive's silky-smooth, snide voice.

"Good. Everybody move out." In one fluid motion Richard and pushed open the door, leaping into the open street. The other Dhampirs followed in quick procession. As they raced towards the school, Richard saw the other group spill out around the classroom, mercilessly bashing any and all surprised adults who got in their way.

Richard was forced to reluctantly admit to a grudging approval of his counter-part. Irritating he may be; but Clive could follow orders to the letter. The guards took their stations less than ten seconds before Richard's group arrived, his team immediately splitting up to converge on a door a group.

There was a brief lull, as Richard paused, hand on the door-knob. Quietly he removed a pistol from his holster, flicking the safety off of both it and the rifle. Then he opened the door and walked calmly inside.

For a moment nobody seemed to register what was going on, as Richard calmly scooped the nearest child against his chest, the arm with the rifle about his neck, leaving that weapon pointing at the roof and the pistol pointing at the kid's head. "Hello," he said.

Almost instantly the remaining doors flew open, his team charging in with shouts, guns drawn and armed, forcing the rest of the people in the room against the wall by the black-board.

Richard glared at the one person who had not yet moved; furious not only at the fact that she had disobeyed his orders but also by the fact that she was even _there_. They'd staked this place out for a month, and this was the first time that an extra person had ever featured in their calculations.

The lady in question was relatively young- no more than mid twenties and very, very beautiful. Her long, rippling hair flowed down her back in a shining wave of mahogany, drawing the eye to a shapely, perfectly toned figure. This was a chick who worked out. No, more than that. Richard blinked, trying to readjust his focus, then his eyes widened. She was a Dhampir!

"Who are you?" He snapped, boiling with rage.

"My name is Rose Belikov. And that is my son." Her voice was cold, flat and deadly.

"Shit." Swore one of the men to the left of Richard. He ignored the man. The chick couldn't be THAT bad if _he'd_ never heard of her. What was she going to do against all of them?

"Let. Him. Go." Her hands slowly bunched into fists, her muscles tightening as she slowly shifted her position to an aggressive stance.

"Yeah?" Asked Richard, feigned interest in his voice. "Well I'm not interested in your little Bloodwhore offspring. I want Andréa Drogomir. Just hand the little brat over and you can have your precious back. If not, I shoot the kid, get one of my men to grab me another and I ask again. What'll it be?"

Her shoulders drooped, and tears formed in her eyes. She half turned towards the petrified children huddling against the wall, then took a half step towards her son, obviously torn. She hesitated.

"Aunt Rose," whimpered a tiny girl suddenly- her voice seeming overly loud in the sudden stillness. Richard stared at her hungrily. Her father's messy black hair, her mothers beautiful jade eyes. Andréa Drogomir.

"Mama," countered the boy pressed against his chest, his voice trembling. "Am I going to die now?"

Rose took an involuntary step towards the boy, heart-break in her eyes. "Mason, baby, no! Of course not, I'd never….." She took several more steps.

"Hey hey hey!" Richard removed the gun from the child's head to point in warningly at her. "Back off a bit lady!"

The defeat fell from her face and her mouth took on a vicious grin as she moved.

Throughout his brief and eventually unsuccessful career as a guardian, the one thing that Richard had prided himself on the most was his speed. Next to him, this woman was like lightning. Within just seconds he was on the ground, at least three bones broken and a sleep-dart buried in his next, whilst about his unconscious form chaos reigned supreme.

**************************************************************************************

Clive POV

Jarrod slammed out of the door like a bat out of hell, backing rapidly away with a terrified look on his face. Inside, the noises that had started just moments before his retreat continued. I raised my brows in surprise. "What's going on in there?"

"There's a Dhampir in there, mother of one of the kids." He said, still backing up as he fumbled with his handgun.

I shrugged, puzzled. "So? Richard ought to be more than capable of taking down one Bloodwhore. I assume that that's what he's doing now." I tilted my head, listening to the noises. It sounded like the event was winding to a close.

He turned to gaze at me incredulously. "Are you _kidding_ me?! That's _Rose Belikov_. She had him down in less than a second!"

I frowned, puzzled. "Rose Belikov? Never heard of her."

Jarrod rolled his eyes, then jumped in terror as he fetched up against a tree. I chortled. "Well then, does the name Rosemarie Hathaway mean anything to you?"

My eyes widened in shock. "Rose _Hathaway_? Janine Hathaway's kid, married her mentor 'cause he was the only one she couldn't take down ten times out of ten. Legend. _Daughter_ of a legend. _Married_ to a legend. That's _her_?"

The man beside me laughed bitterly. "And Richard threatened their kid? Man if she's just taken down a room full of us with guns, I can't wait to see what the dad will manage!"

"Wish Granted." Came a voice from the other side of the tree. Jarrod turned to see a really tall, really ripped and really pissed off Russian guy. Or, more accurately, his fist.

THE END.

(What, like you actually thought I had a chance?!)

**OK guys, it had to be done. I just love that line! And while I know that every man and his dog is calling whoever's kids Mason….. I have not yet seen a single Andréa! Funny, too; that was the first thing that popped into MY head when I learnt Lissa's brother's name. Andre, Andréa. Her daughter. Duh. **

**So, what did you think?!**


	4. Oh, but I do

**OK guys your latest instalment. Now this one is a bit obscure; and a little heart-breaking. It came into mind because even though I LOVE Adrian as a character, Rose and Dimitri just have to be together. A lot of people seem to disagree with me, though- and I've slowly come ALMOST around to their way of thinking. However, I made this whole thing as a Rose/Dimitri fic and I assure you that I'm not jumping off of the band wagon just yet, so no fears and….. Enjoy!**

Oh; but I do.

Rose POV

I lay down on the bed, senses hyper-alert. I closed my eyes and fought to slow my breathing, fought against my body in order to make it relax. The adrenaline that was still coursing through my veins fought back, and I caught myself jumping as the tiny fridge resumed its humming in the corner. I swore and opened my eyes again, staring frustrated into the darkness. Typical. After almost ten days of practically FORCING Adrian out of my head I finally wanted to talk to him and found it all but impossible to get to sleep. And I did have to talk to him. I had to say….. That I found _Him._

Immediately the excitement went out of me, replaced almost at once by a sick feeling. Not the: Strigoi-are-near-so-run-like-hell type of sick feeling; but the: I've-found-the-missing-love-of-my-life-and-tomorrow-have-to-kill-him type sick feeling. I'm sure that you can relate.

Almost automatically my knees came up and my arms wrapped around them, trying to staunch the sudden pain that I felt. _Dimitri….._

I have no idea how long I lay like that; but it must have been long enough for soon I felt the sun caressing my cheek; and my stomach lurched again, the sick feeling back. '_Oh God!' _I thought. '_I slept through, I slept through and Adrian has given up trying. I didn't speak to him, I'm not ready!'_ Swallowing back the sick feeling in my stomach, I very, very cautiously opened my eyes.

I was lying on my side on a beautiful, sloping hillside. The grass beneath me was dotted with wildflowers, interspersed here and there by rocks, which grew more and more numerous until it merged smoothly into a gravely beach, which rolled gently into a turquoise sea.

I gasped slightly in delight, the painful feeling inside of me loosening its bonds a bit. I felt myself relaxing, not only because of the scenery but also because of what it meant. He hadn't given up on me, after all. The thought made me somewhat guilty; and the sad feeling settled back inside me, though it was tempered now with peace.

I sat up, resting my chin on my knees dreamily as I gazed across the vista. "What is this place?" I asked, not bothering to look around me.

I felt rather than saw him settle next to me. "It's a place called Taranaki, I saw it once in a travel brochure for New-Zealand, although I edited it a bit." Adrian explained.

I turned to him, staring. His voice was almost bursting with excitement, an excitement that wasn't quite matched with his words. Surely he couldn't be that enthusiastic about the _scenery_???

He gazed back at me, face mirroring that excitement. His cheeks were flushed, his wide-awake eyes sparkling in glee. _Wide awake?_ I frowned in confusion, reassessing him swiftly. No cigarette in his mouth, no ever-present bottle of alcohol, Adrian Ivashkov, sober and well. This MUST be big.

"Little Dhampir I thought that you would _NEVER_ sleep!" He exclaimed, voice still jubilant. His eyes searched my face, seemingly watching- waiting for something.

"What's up?" I asked nonchalantly.

He rolled his eyes, seeing right through my ploy. "Little Dhampir, if you could have any wish in the world, what would it be?"

I sighed, the curiosity bubble in my chest fizzing out. Obviously missing his self-medication had brought back the spirit-madness. There was no point in my playing his way if the game was twenty-questions.

"Well?" He prompted, exuberant- his head leaning way to close for comfort.

I sighed again. Personal space. Adrian always HAD had a problem with that. "Dimitri." I whispered softly, the grief once again threatening to overwhelm me. I swallowed frantically, rapidly blinking back tears. "Alive and well. You know that!" Suddenly and abruptly angry I turned away from him, biting my lip as I stared fixedly at the deep blue sky, determined not to cry.

Before I had my emotions under control he spoke again. "Then just call me your fairy godmother, bibbity-bobbity-boo!"

I turned back to look at him incredulously, anger and pain boiling up inside of me. How _dare_ he mock my agony like this! If being drunk 24/7 kept him from wild fantasies like this then I swear that I'll make it my life's mission to personally ensure there was a bottle in his hand every waking hour of the day. Or night, as the case may be.

I opened my mouth to rip into him, but he must have noticed my furious expression and change in stance because he hurriedly raised his hands in warning. "I mean it, Rose- really!" He assured me.

He called me _Rose???_ Unsure suddenly I hesitated.

Adrian noticed the pause and pressed onwards eagerly. "Lissa and I were studying some of the effects of Spirit and we think that we've discovered a way to return a Strigoi back to their original state!"

I froze, heart and breath and time all stopping as I stared wonderingly into his eyes. Then my heart began beating once more. It had a _reason_ to. My breath came soaring back into my chest, tasting sweet and clean and fresh and full of life. Time seemed to burst through every dimension at once as all around me grasses swayed, insects hummed and birds sang. I felt like singing myself as joy flooded my every particle, a smile of pure joy breaking out and onto my face, filling me up with happiness. He smiled back, just as joyful and I suddenly realised that it was for this smile, this moment that he had been waiting, searching.

I gripped his hand suddenly, convulsingly in mine. "Oh Adrian," I half chocked, half breathed. "Do you mean it, really, do you?!"

He smiled back, squeezing my hands warmly in his. "I really do." He assured me, soothing the last of my fears.

"Adrian I love you!" I all but shrieked, throwing my arms about his neck and hugging him as hard as I could. As quickly as I lunged, however; and as ecstatic as I was- I wasn't so quick that I missed the brief flash of pain in his eyes as I uttered that one, thoughtless sentence.

"Oh Adrian, I'm so sorry." I instantly regretted my words, but couldn't manage to feel more than a quick pang of guilt. Dimitri, _my_ Dimitri, mine again!

He smiled back, a half sad look in his eyes as he brushed a strand of hair out of mine. "That's OK Little Dhampir." He said, his voice mirroring his eyes. "It's just nice to see you happy again. And your aura, shimmering and sparking and dancing with colour and light….." He shook his head. "It was all worth it." He repeated, smiling at me again, his brief moment of sadness gone.

My thoughts changed direction abruptly. "I found him," I told Adrian breathlessly. "I found him and was about to go after him tomorrow. That's why I let you in, to tell you….. But now I don't need to….." I cut of my own words to stare at Adrian's slowly shaking head. "No? What do you mean no?" My voice was panicked, almost on the verge of hysteria. I instantly felt ashamed of my own reaction, where had the calm, controlled Rose Hathaway gone?

He hastened to reassure me. "Nothing bad, Little Dhampir." He soothed. Eyed worried again. "But….." He bit his lip, as if uncertain as to how he would continue.

"But….." I prompted. Still he hesitated. "But what?" I pressed.

"But you will have to bring him to us." He said in a rush. "I, WE, can't do anything unless he's here, in front of us." His eyes looked completely miserable now. Probable as a result of the horrified expression on my face. "You will have to fight him, Little Dhampir. The only difference is that now you'll be trying not to kill him, which as I understand it is a lot harder."

My breathing climbed back up a notch and I fought to control it, puzzling the information out in my brain. This was Dimitri, he knew all of my moves because he'd _taught_ them to me. Not only that but now he was faster and stronger than ever. And the one time that I _had_ beat him? Well let's just say that I'd always had my suspicious, and he'd have no lust to distract him this time. I gnawed on my bottom lip, considering, ignoring the anxious expression on Adrian's face as I wrestled with the uncertainty inside of me. Could I? Was it possible?

Suddenly, images came flooding into my brain. _Dimitri, the first time that I saw him; staring at me from out of the shadows. Dimitri, gazing with an amused expression at me from over the top of a Western novel. Dimitri, and the expression on his face as we made love in the cabin; serene, full of love, perfect. Dimitri, agony on his face as the blond Strigoi tore us apart….._

Resolution filled me then, chasing away my fears. I could and would. For him.

"Rose?" From the way he said it, this wasn't the first time that Adrian had called my name. I snapped back to reality. _Oop_, there goes gravity, _choke_…..

"I'll do it." I said confidently. "But how do I get him back to you? I doubt that he has his passport on him, and I don't think that customs lets people who are either unconscious or trying to eat them across the border."

It was amazing how easy it was to joke, now- now that I knew there was to be a happy ending.

He smiled, relieved that I'd returned to the land of the living. "I'll meet you." He said excitedly. "It's easier that way anyway….. I can fly over and be there not long after you nab him. Where are you exactly? Siberia, right?"

I nodded. That made sense. "Just outside of Novosibirsk." I agreed, the name rolling smoothly off of my tongue after the months spent here.

"I'll meet you there tomorrow." The setting began to blur, the colours running into each other and the details fading. "I'm waking up," he said hastily, hurrying to get the last message across. "Good luck for tomorrow and Rose, _be careful._"

The dream faded away and I dropped into the first deep sleep that I had experienced in a long while.

*********************************************************************

Adrian POV

I paced around the pent-house suite, tension in every muscle. I'd used my review of her credit card transactions to find the hotel that she'd been staying up, had rang ahead to arrange for a message to be delivered to her before she left the next morning. But what if they hadn't got it to her in time? What if she hadn't bothered to listen? After all, this was Rose that we were talking about. What if she never found out that we were meeting here? I should have found out where she'd be. I should have…..

On and on it went, the pacing, the self-blame. And yet all of that while, I refused to admit- even, no, _especially_ to myself the most likely reason for her absence.

My gaze strayed once more to the mini-bar and I snatched it away angrily. No. I owed it, to _Her_ if not to _Him_ to be sober when I did this. To be at the maximum potential of my ability. To succeed….. I pushed the thought away.

The phone rang suddenly, shattering the silence and I half tripped over to answer it, my feet stumbling out of their now-familiar rhythm. "Привет?" Hello? I asked in Russian, trying to seem casual. _'Yay for traditional Moroi Royal training,' _I thought sardonically as the person on the other end answered me in the same language, with a respectful tone of voice.

"Lord Ivashkov? A young lady who seems to fit the description of your guest is here….. But she has with her a most unusual man, not at all conscious….." Doubt was evident in his voice but my sudden relief by far overshadowed my annoyance.

"My good man," I told him cheerfully- a very English expression that translated most awkwardly into Russian. "I did say that it was likely that my guest would bring a friend. This must be him. Please let them both up immediately." I hung up before he could reply, then threw open the door and rushed over to the elevator. Never had it gone more slowly nor time taken so long. I groaned at each number it stopped at.

When finally the metal doors opened, I looked anxiously for the form of Rose. My little Dhampir. Her eyes, when I met them, were just as anxious. Just as warm, a deep, deep brown that could suck you into them. I gazed beyond that and made a cursory examination of her rockin' body. An action which forced me into a double take.

She held herself at a strange angle, and you didn't need to be a genius to work out that more than one rib was broken. Her let side indeed seemed to have be the one to take the most battering, her shoulder had clearly been recently dislocated and what seemed to be half of her face was missing, leaving a matted sore of dried blood and hair. My eyes widened in disbelief.

She caught the direction of my gaze at once. "Don't worry about it." She said impatiently, turning to kneel with a wince beside the man lying prone on the floor. "Just help me to get him inside."

I turned my gaze downwards. Belikov.

Unconscious this way I found it hard to see the Strigoi in him. Yes he was a little pale, but so would anyone be who lost that much blood…..

_Go Rose._ I thought wryly.

"Adrian!" She hissed, reaching up swiftly to mash the 'Open Doors' button again. I snapped out of it and bent down quickly to grab his feet, almost groaning as I dragged him across the carpet. How much did this guy _weigh?????_

She scrambled to her feet and hurried over to us, lurching suddenly to the side and grabbing the wall as she twisted wrong, wincing in pain.

"Rose….." I began, reaching for her. I may not be as good at healing as Lissa, but there was no way I could let her stay in that condition when it was so obviously causing her that much pain.

"Don't." She said, flinching out of my reach. My heart tore in response. "Heal him. Just please, save him!" Her tone was desperate, almost begging and my heart wrenched again as I was reminded of why I had come. If she couldn't look at me like that, with that desperate, fierce longing and utter, heart-breaking love….. Well, the least that I could do is save the one that she did. Even if it meant that I'd never be with her.

"Of course." I whispered, doing my best to bite back on the pain in my voice.

I dropped down on my knees beside him, taking a deep, yet alarmingly wobbly breath as a slightly sick feeling settled within me. Sounds seemed magnified and sweat began to form on my head as I raised one trembling hand and set it on his, fighting to keep my suddenly shallow breaths even. _This was it….._

My heart gave a sickening lurch and tried to soar out of its abyss as another, smaller hand settled on mine, steadying it- and warm lips pressed to my cheek. I turned to Rose, gazing now not at Belikov; but at me.

"Changed your mind?" I asked teasingly, not a shred of hope in my mind. A last banter, a last sight of her gorgeously frustrated face. That was what I needed.

I received it as she groaned in mock disgust and gave me a quick and frighteningly soft- for Rose at least- punch on the arm. Then she threw her arms around me.

The situation was almost exactly like that in the dream; but so, so different. Her arms, I couldn't have imagined them any tighter but they were. Her hair, softer, her body, fitting more perfectly into my arms. Fitting there. Nothing else could, would, ever belong. Her lips, once more against my cheek. It made the ecstasy that I'd felt on the hillside feel like the pale shadow of a dream. This, _this_ was perfection.

All too soon she let go again, gratitude and joy shining in her eyes. "Thank-you Adrian." She whispered, turning her gaze to _His_ face. One hand moved to stroke the hair from his forehead….. Whilst the other moved down to settle in mine. Her gaze changed as it reached him, and the love in her look was almost painful. I looked hastily away and placed our clasped hands back on Belikov's reclining form. This time, it felt right. No hesitation, no unsurity. Her look had cinched it for me.

She squeezed my hand once and let her own fall away, moving it instead to rest on my knee. "You don't know how much this means to me." She murmured, still staring at his face.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, feeling calmness wash over me.

"Oh; but I do."

And I did it. The only way to restore a Strigoi. Not the thing that made one oneself; that was always present. No, I was referring to the thing that made one _be. _Your essence. I gave him mine. And, with no Strigoi venom to replace it, I died.

*********************************************************************

_Dimitri Belikov opened his eyes and smiled. _

_His Roza smiled back, _

_Joy mingling with the grief in her face. _

"_I love you." _

_He murmured, _

_Reaching up to place a hand on her cheek. _

_She covered it with her own, _

_The tears falling faster. _

"_I love you too." _

_She whispered. _

"_I love you BOTH." _

_He saw what she meant; _

_And the smile died from his face._

**There, I know what you're thinking. So sad, so bad. Well, forgive me- most will be happier but this one just came into my mind and I felt like I had to do Adrian justice in it. I hope that I succeeded.**

**Oh, and in case you were wondering…… Taranaki is a real place in New-Zealand. A region, actually, which is a bit like a state only a hell of a lot smaller and less autonomous. I did change a few things about it, like the fact that Mount Taranaki is much bigger and steeper than depicted and the fact that there's a town, New Plymouth, at the bottom. **

**I know all of this because I lived there once.**

**New-Zealand, that is. Not Taranaki. I was a Manawatu girl and proud of it.**

**Now, however, I'm an Aussie. Just in case anyone was wondering. ;D**


	5. Snap back Come back Pay back

**All right- another 'What If,' fic. A lot of people have been doing the, 'What-if-Dimitri-didn't-get-turned-Strigoi-and-they-carried-out-the-plan-that-he'd-made-instead,' fic….. But not many people have focussed very strongly on the Spirit-Madness. A pity, as it was one of the main concepts behind Spirit Bound. Any who, I got to thinking….. What If. And that's how this fic came to be.**

**Enjoy,**

**Rach.**

**Snap Back Come Back Pay Back**

Mia's POV.

"Lauren, get Dimitri." I half-turned when no foot-falls came behind me, frowning as I glared at the servant's horror-struck, frozen form. "LAUREN!" I snapped. Her head whipped around, her deathly pale face turned towards me, those wide-open, shock-filled eyes focusing properly now on mine. I spoke clearly and a little slower, still with only one eye on her. "Guardian Belikov. Find him, Lauren and bring him here. Immediately. Go!" I added in a shout, losing my temper slightly. What was she waiting for, permission?!

I returned my full gaze to Rose, feeling my worry take precedence again. _'Hurry,' _I thought desperately, _'hurry!'_ Rose stood several feet away from me, yet I was still the closest one to her. Odd for the usually crowded training room at the royal palace. The reason, though, was obvious.

About the walls, an ever-growing crowd stood, astonished by what they were seeing. Rose's hands moved so fast that they were a blur, the sound of the punching bag reduced from individual thuds to a dull hum. The bag itself was vibrating enough to begin to strain at the bolts securing it, we'd all heard the dull, protesting whine of the bottom one already. _'Please, please don't fail on us just yet,'_ I begged, praying to God-only-knows whom. Get it? Praying to God-only….. Ok, I know it's so not the time for lame puns; but I'm starting to freak out a bit here. What the fuck is taking Dimitri so long?

Face contorted in rage, Rose twisted abruptly to the side, interspersing her punches now with kicks. From her new position, I was able to see her face more clearly. I almost wished that I couldn't. Her eyes were burning with hate and fury; but there was a curious blankness over them too. Her body was drenched in sweat, and as the sound of the bag changed from a dull monotone to bada BOP, bada BOP, I noticed something else as well. Every time she swang her body violently, adding extra power to her kicks- flecks of blood flew off of her knuckles, splattering onto the floor. She was going to KILL herself if she kept this up much longer!

Suddenly, I gasped- jumping. Someone behind me had just grabbed my arse. I turned automatically, my surprise souring as I recognised my assailant. Maverick stared back on me, a grin on his cocky face. My hand itched to punch him, but Queen Tatiana hadn't hired him straight out of the obscure European school to be in her personal guard JUST because he was what ought to be illegally good-looking. He was a great, GREAT guardian. Well, good at combat, any way. And handsy; and arrogant; and obnoxious; and all-in-all an utter dick-head. He was also relatively new here. I was beginning to see how I could work that to my advantage.

I hid my sudden urge to grin behind another scowl. "Hands off dick-head," I hissed, slapping them away as he absent-mindedly reached for my rear again. He wasn't paying attention to me; but then again, his mind being absent was an almost constant state for the Womanising Wonder.

"Woah, what's up with Hathaway?!" For a guardian, he really wasn't that observant, how could he only just have spotted her!

I rolled my eyes, but was saved from answering by a dozen other voices, each one eager to give him their own version of the truth. I thought back to what had really happened.

Flashback

"_That's pretty good; but don't twist so much so fast, you'll strain your arm." Rose closed her fingers over mine, moving my fist back to the starting point just above my hips. "If you twist a little slower….." she demonstrated, gently pulling my arm in slow motion towards the bag, "then by the time that you get to whomever you're punching, you'll be twisting their skin with the last little bit." _

_I winced slightly as my knuckles scraped over the stitching in the bag. She noticed, and pressed them in harder- causing me to yelp in surprise and pain. She let me pull my hand away, and I glared at her, cross but not angry. Rose had never been anything but professional once inside a gymnasium- no matter how she acted elsewhere. _

_Still….. "Rose what the fuck?"_

"_I know it hurts now," she replied- unsympathetically, "but believe me, it'll hurt _them_ a hell of a lot more if you can get it right. Plus, you need to practise on the punching bags so that you can build up calluses to protect your knuckles. See?"_

_I glanced in amazement at the fine, pale calluses trailing across her clenched fist. I'd never even noticed them before. "So long as you….." her voice trailed off uncertainly and I looked up, confused. _

"_Rose?" Her eyes wore a blank, slightly bemused look that I remembered from back at St. Vlads. Lissa. She was focussing on Lissa. _

_She remained for a few seconds frozen, then she gasped in a shocked breath. "Why you little….." _

_Trailing off her outraged statement she tensed for a moment, obviously listening to something. Then her eyes widened in alarm. "No, Lissa, don't!" she said in a low, strangled cry. She squeezed her eyes tight shut and then suddenly staggered, as though someone had dumped a new set of weights on her. When her eyes opened again they were unfamiliar and frightening. With a look on her face that was almost feral, she turned and lurched for the door. Suddenly her arms shot out and grabbed on tight to the punching bag that we'd been using, seemingly restraining herself. She wavered briefly between either side of the internal struggle, then swung 'round abruptly and began pummelling her life-line. _

_I'd seen her like this once before since she and Lissa had moved here over a year ago; and I immediately did the only thing that I could: cleared everyone out of the way and sent the nearest attendant scurrying for the one person who could pull her out of it._

End Flashback

"Jeez, what a psycho!" I was pulled abruptly back from my reverie by the sound of Maverick's obnoxious voice.

I bit off a sarcastic retort and instead forced myself to sound natural. "She is not," I kept my tone suitably disgusted….. He probably wasn't use to hearing much else from girls, "but I am worried that she's going to hurt herself." The concern, at least; _that _I didn't have to fake.

He regarded her thoughtfully, all groping momentarily forgotten. "Someone should really stop her then," he sounded as though he were weighing up his options.

'_Go on,'_ I silently urged him, _'do us all a favour.'_ But I could already see that he'd need a little extra nudging. Thoughtless he may be; but as a professional Guardian, reckless he was not. So I pulled out my trump card. "I know," I agreed seriously, "that's why I sent for guardian Belikov."

It worked. He took his eyes off of Rose and focussed them both on me. "What?" he appeared startled. "Why?"

I looked at him, surprise on my face. I was rather enjoying my impromptu acting stint. "Why," I began in feigned astonishment, "he's the only one that could possibly stop her, of course! No one else could even get close!" The beauty of it? Everything I've said has been pure truth. It isn't my fault if he takes it in a different way to how it was meant. Sucker…..

"Is that so?" As his temper rose, so too did his voice. People around us looked at him in astonishment. They kept forgetting that he was new. Oh the joys…..

"Of course!" someone from the crowd said, when it became clear that he was looking for an answer, "after all, he's the only one….."

Without waiting to hear the rest on the sentence, Maverick pushed past me, heading determinedly towards the centre of the clearing. The random from before pushed up to take his place- and caught sight of my gloating smirk.

"You planned this," he said quietly- in the tone of somebody stating a fact.

"Obviously." My even tone matched his exactly. "_She'll _pummel _him_; and it'll do them both the world of good."

He was quiet for a moment. Then, "Look, I know that all of you younger generation St. Vladers practically worship Rose; but she has been going flat out for almost fifteen minutes- and that wasn't even the start of her workout. Maverick is straight off duty: so he's fresh. And he's good, very good. I'm not so sure if this is such a good idea."

"Aha."

He rolled his eyes at my noncommittal but stayed to watch the show. Brimming over with smug gittiness, Maverick strutted over to where Rose was still torturing the gym equipment; and reached out one hand- to tap her on the shoulder or turn her around, I couldn't say. Quick as a flash, (and why was he expecting any different? Hadn't he SEEN her abusing the poor leather sack?! What make him think that she'd treat his any differently?!) she reached over and grabbed his arm, sticking one of her legs between his and thus pole-vaulting him into the floor. After that, things only got more interesting. As the fight progressed, I began to regret it a little after all. A perverted goit the guy may be; but I hadn't exactly meant to have him assassinated.

Luckily just then the huge double doors at the end of the hall burst open, and the cavalry- in the form of Dimitri- arrived. He sprinted flat-out towards the centre of the commotion; guessing- correctly- that that was where Rose would be. He made absolutely no allowances for the gathered spectators, so I suppose that it's a good thing that they scarpered or we'd have some pretty flat guardians tomorrow, hahaha.

I know, I know. Enough with the puns already.

So, back to the story. Um….. Rose flipped out, Maverick was an arse-hole, Rose beat up Maverick, Dimitri came flying in……. ah, right.

So, Dimitri hurtled through the crowd, people scattering to either side like tenpins at a bowling alley….. Well, a bowling alley when someone not ME was bowling. Down on the floor, Rose was just lifting Maverick's slumped and bleeding form in order to deliver another series of blows. He struggled weakly in her grip, arms trying to push her away but only succeeding in giving a pathetic sort of flop in his joints. By now my uncomfortable feeling had turned to a slightly sick one, and I mentally kicked myself for misjudging both her fury and his capabilities. I'd envisioned a brawl, not a beating.

Finally reaching them, Dimitri stopped, less then a foot from them. "Rose?"

The entire audience witnessed Rose's reaction to her lover's voice. She froze, still with Maverick half-raised from the ground in a position that should be painful to her; and was most definitely painful to him. A half-second of silence: then the whispering began, like the rush of water- as those who remembered the scandal of their surprise relationship from more than a year ago repeated it to those who did not.

"Roza."

Even to my ears the word was soft, gentle, caressing. His movements mirrored his voice; a slow silkiness as he moved closer and closer towards her. She half straightened from her bent over position, remembered the body in her hands as it let out a groan; and dropped it. In his bruised and battered condition, Maverick hadn't even the strength to catch himself.

He reached her now, his smooth grace- so unusual in a big man!- made a startling contrast to her almost feral stance. Not taking his eyes from her face, as though willing it to raise from the floor; Dimitri raised his left hand slowly and placed it gently on her shoulder.

Her reaction was immediate and instinctive, a scuttling shy that brought her blanching towards his right hand side. His lightening-fast reaction attested to his having expected her response. As fast as she'd been at the punching bag, Dimitri raised his right hand and slapped his hand hard across her face. There was a collective gasp from the audience, a battered intake of breath as all and sundry waited to see if she would turn on him as she had done on Maverick. Her head jerked up and around in shock….. And she connected eyes with him.

He must have understood the importance of this better than the rest of us; because even I noticed the tension seep out of his muscles; and his face relaxed into a smile almost startling in it's brilliance. I blinked, taken aback. I'd never seen him smile before, and now I could really see why Rose went for him. I mean, he'd always been hot….. not that I think of my friend's boyfriend as hot….. I mean, he is but….. Oh, you know what I mean.

So anyway, he was smiling this truly amazing smile that I appreciated, _as a friend to his girlfriend….._ And he reached up, still carefully but not quite as slowly as before, to tuck an errant lock of hair behind her ear.

'_Hmm,'_ I thought critically- frowning a bit, _'must have escaped during the fight….. Perhaps we should experiment with French-Braiding.'_

Dimitri's smile grew, if possible, even more dazzling; and he left one hand on her cheek as he moved once more closer to her. "Welcome back, my Roza." It was no more than a gentle murmur; but in the almost un-natural silence of the gymnasium, it was easily heard by all.

Rose blinked, and glanced down at her hands. "Oh my God," she whispered, shocked horror in her voice. She looked over at Maverick, her eyes opening even wider and her voice growing stronger than ever. "Oh my GOD!"

"Don't worry, he'll be fine." A new voice rang out past the melée, and Princess Vasilisa Drogomir began to wend her way through the crowd, followed by her ever faithful pack: Adrian Ivashkov, her other Guardian Eddie, and her boyfriend, Christian Ozera. I still wasn't as easily able to be friendly to Lissa, who had been- at least in my eyes- the reason for the initial animosity between our two groups. Not like I could with Rose, who'd earnt my respect. However, I was beginning to see that she was not like her brother….. all of the time. Occasionally she even impressed me. "I'll go back on the medication; and let Adrian and the doctors help out with the healing," she promised quietly, coming to a halt in front of Rose. "I promise it won't be like last time."

Rose gazed doubtfully down at the bloody pulp by her feet. "I'm still not sure if that's a good idea….." She tried to take a step towards him, but without the inordinate amount of adrenaline that had been running through them, her legs were incapable of holding her weight. She teetered, staggered; and would have fallen- but Dimitri steadied her, wrapping careful hands about her torso. She turned in his hold, burying her head in his chest and consigning her weight fully to him. He swept her up in his arms and carried her- still shell-shocked- gently out.

There was a momentary pause, then the crowd began to converge, each raising their voice above the next, attempting to be heard. As we were shunted to the edges, I lifted my voice above the hubbub and addressed my neighbour. "Told you she was good." Like her fully I may not- but with Vasilisa attending to Maverick I no longer felt any guilt over the matter.

"I guess I'm lucky I didn't put money on it then." Out of the crush, the stranger- who looked no more than three or four years older than me now- gave me an easy grin, a look which changed abruptly as I returned it. Suddenly he gave me the body-sweep, and an embarrassed blush crept into his cheeks as his gaze roved uncomfortably somewhere beyond my shoulder; and his grin became tinged with unease.

For some reason, I felt the need to break the silence. 'I'm Mia Renaldi," I announced somewhat awkwardly.

He gave me a gratified half smile and accepted my proffered hand, shaking it warmly in his own as his ease returned. We both laughed as it engulfed mine. "Boris," he announced grandly; and I wondered how I had failed to notice the Russian accent before.

"Really?"

"No. The name's Dan."

I rolled my eyes and groaned, a smile creeping onto my face in spite of my best efforts. I hadn't missed the fact that he had yet to relinquish his hold on my hand. Score. Perhaps this wasn't such a bad day after all.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Maverick. He was being carted out of the hall on a gurney, Lissa striding ahead of him. _'Well…..'_ I amended my thought, _'for me, anyway.'_

**For those of you who haven't seen me write Mia before, I always think of her as this really smart girl with a really nasty vindictive side and an appallingly bad sense of humour. So I **_**suppose**_** that you could say that this is OCC….. If you don't agree with me. **

**I actually quite like the way that this turned out….. What say you to a proper continuation of this, masses?!**


End file.
